My House of Horrors

“If not for her, you wouldn’t be here anymore. It is because of her that you survived. She lent you a hand when you most needed it, so why would you be afraid of someone like that?” Chen Ge’s voice was warm and calm—it seemed to possess a unique power.

Fan Chong thought about it for a long time. He suddenly felt that Chen Ge had a point. “You have nothing after death, not even the chance to chase after happiness. You’re right, I should thank her.”

“Actually, when you told me the old lady’s story, I was instantly reminded of Xiao Bu. The old lady stayed next to Xiao Bu’s home, so the girl that she saw was probably Xiao Bu.” Chen Ge looked at the little girl on screen who wore her mother’s pajamas. “The old lady lived alone, and when she suffered from heart attack, with none of the neighbors clued in, someone called the emergency line. Who do you think made that call?”

“Xiao Bu?”

“Who else could it be? From this, we know that the child still knows the difference between good and bad.” Chen Ge pushed Fan Chong’s chair back to the computer. “So, you can continue playing the game. Xiao Bu will not harm you for no reason. She reached out to you with this game probably because she wants to share her story with you.”

“It’s just that? Even ghosts have the need to share their stories?” Fan Chong kept his voice low. He sat before the computer and still had a hard time getting used to this.

“This should be one of the reasons she made this game. With regards to other reasons, we will know once we clear the game.” Chen Ge noticed that Fan Chong was not that worried anymore, so he sighed. “Good luck, the child is probably trapped at the deepest part of the game, surrounded by pain and despair. She has saved you, so now it’s your turn to save her.”

“She’s hiding in my computer?” Fan Chong’s gaze slowly focused. He placed his hands back on the keyboard and mouse. “I understand. I will try my best to clear this game.”

Then he exited the game and cleaned up the partitions of his computer. “By the way, Boss Chen, you saw the blood words that showed up on the window earlier, right? Were those written by Xiao Bu?”

“Should be.”

“Then why would she warn you away from Li Wan City? Is this place that dangerous?” Fan Chong seemed to be afraid that Chen Ge might misunderstand him, so he added, “I’m worried about my big brother. He’s a careless person and is often spacing out.”

“At the moment, Eastern Jiujiang is rather complicated. Try to stay at home at night, but it should be better in one or two weeks.”

“One or two weeks? Okay.” Fan Chong had no idea how Chen Ge knew that, but he chose to believe him.

“If something happens, remember to contact me. I won’t be coming to Li Wan City for the next few days.” Xiao Bu’s message had attracted Chen Ge’s attention. He was a cautious person and would not risk his life for no reason. After that, Chen Ge left. He wanted to get the bus back to New Century Park before dawn.

He got on the bus and saw the boy that he had left on the last row. The boy was still unconscious. He checked the boy and confirmed that he was not injured. Chen Ge sighed in relief. “The boy’s parents must be worried. After I drive the bus back to the park, I should send the child to Western Jiujiang’s police station.”

The bus on Route 104 had come from Western Jiujiang to Eastern Jiujiang, so the middle-aged woman had probably snatched the boy from Western Jiujiang. “The surveillance in countryside is not that comprehensive, but I can’t be too careful.”

Chen Ge opened the comic to summon the driver ghost, Tang Jun. “So, what is your decision?”

With the ‘brain-washing’ from Bai Qiulin, Ol’ Zhou, and the other ghosts, Tang Jun’s attitude became much better. He was not an evil ghost, and his death was due to a car accident. There was not much resentment in him, and the only emotion that he had was the connection to his family.

“I don’t mind it. After all, it’s just driving. It’s the same no matter who the boss is, but if you allow me to meet my family, I will swear my loyalty to you.”

“Where is your home?”

“Why?”

“You drive, and we’ll go there now.”

…

Twenty minutes later, Tang Jun walked out from an old residential area. Probably because the desire in his heart was not that intense, his body became much more faded, like he was about to disperse.

After he got on the bus, his body started to recover.

“So soon? Aren’t you going to stay with them longer?” Chen Ge was reading the information on the black phone. Tang Jun had taken less three minutes.

“I didn’t go upstairs. I just stood outside the building.”

“Don’t you want to see them in person?”

“I thought about it, but no.”

“It’s fine. If you want to come back in the future, just tell me in advance, and you can come back anytime.” Chen Ge was always kind to his workers and treated them as his family. “But you have to remember, when the desire that kept you alive disappears, it will also be time for you to disappear.”

“Hmm, understood.” Tang Jun gripped the steering wheel and started the bus. The bus arrived at New Century Park at 4 am, when the sun was coming up. When the guard saw Chen Ge come back with such a large vehicle, his eyes almost popped out of his face. After asking Chen Ge many times to confirm that he did not steal the vehicle and that it was just a prop, the guard finally allowed Chen Ge into theme park.

“A public bus is indeed a bit too eye-catching.” Chen Ge pulled Tang Jun back into the comic and parked the bus in the empty space behind the Haunted House.

“Let me see… what else have I forgotten?” Chen Ge opened the door and looked at the boy lying on the back seats. When they were coming home, the boy’s lashes had been flickering, and his lips moved.

“You’re awake, aren’t you?” The boy was clever. He had probably woken up when the sun rose, but he had been pretending to be asleep. When he realized that his trick had been exposed, the boy climbed up from his seat shyly. He did not speak but looked at Chen Ge silently.

“Don’t be afraid—I’m a good person. I saved you from the bad guy yesterday.” Chen Ge held the boy’s hand as they walked down from the bus.

It was 4:30 am, four hours from the opening of theme park. Chen Ge calculated and thought that there was enough time. He led the boy out of the New Century Park and took a cab to the police station. “The boy’s parents must be worried. This cannot wait.”

Chen Ge arrived at the station around 5 am. He walked into the place with the boy. When the officer saw someone walk in, they did not pay him much attention, but when they saw who the man was, they became awake immediately.

“Chen Ge? Why have you returned?”